Basildon Council new charter to create dedicated safe spaces

The new figures come as Basildon Council gets set to launch its Women’s Safety Charter.

The survey found 88 per cent of the borough’s women do not feel safe after dark.

The charter will aim to tackle violence against women and girls head on by teaming up with businesses and community groups to create dedicated safe spaces.

Councillors consulted with local businesses to hear their views (Image: Basildon Council)
It comes amid a police investigation into a suspected rape after a woman reported being assaulted at the Asda car park in Basildon town centre at 4am on Sunday September 22..

The charter has been developed with the Safer Basildon Partnership and specialist women’s safety consultant, Karen Whybro.

She says the purpose of a Women’s Safety Charter is “getting people to understand that lower-level behaviours, things that have become really normal for women and girls to experience, like harassment, following, cat calling and being groped, need to start being called out”.

The Women's Safety Charter will include updated posters and resources (Image: Councillor Victoria Joseph)
She added: “As members of the public, as individuals and as communities, we need to stop normalising these behaviours and then acting shocked when something serious happens.”

In advance of the launch of the Women’s Safety Charter, Basildon Council is asking businesses to add their spaces to the charter.

They hope that many of the town’s shops, cafes and bars will soon be signed up to the campaign.

Last week, councillors Victoria Joseph and Jessica Power hosted an event for businesses to pledge their commitment to the Women’s Safety Charter and to sign up for training sessions to become safe spaces.

More than 50 businesses attended the event and contributed to discussions around how spaces could be made safer for women and girls.

Ms Power said: “Last week saw the Business Partnership launch of Basildon Councils Women’s Safety Charter – this invited businesses to see and hear the results of surveys we have been conducting across the borough highlighting the issue of women’s safety, with 88 per cent of our borough’s women not feeling safe after dark.

“Work like this means we are having the right conversations across the borough and the charter will be supported with a media campaign and toolkits to support the ongoing training.”

If you are or know a local business that would like to be a part of this initiative, you can get in touch via communitysafety@basildon.gov.uk